Why Was Scott Peterson Convicted of Murdering His Wife Laci? Inside the Evidence

Scott Peterson was convicted of murder in 2004 for the deaths of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, based on a range of evidence.

In 2012, a lawyer for Scott — who was originally slated for execution by 2021 — filed an appeal, arguing that not only was the jury influenced by the incessant media coverage of the case, but also that there was insufficient evidence to find his client guilty.

Although Scott was resentenced to life in prison in 2021 after it was determined that the original trial had “a series of clear and significant errors” during juror selection, the San Diego, California, native has maintained his innocence and publicly slammed police for “ignoring significant leads and relying solely on circumstantial evidence.”

Scent-Sniffing Dogs Picked Up Laci’s scent at the Berkeley Marina

One of the most contentious pieces of evidence came courtesy of dogs who were trained to pick up the scent of Laci; a handler for one of the dogs says that the pup picked up a scent of Laci in the Berkeley Marina, where Scott claimed he was fishing on the day of his wife’s Christmas Eve disappearance. The dog’s handler said the dog reacted to the scent at the marina just four days after Laci’s disappearance, and the body of Laci and her unborn son were discovered north of the Marina months later in April of 2003.

Scott’s defense attorney claimed that the dog’s evidence was unreliable, comparing it to “voodoo,” “nonsense,” and likening the exercise to “pin the tail on the donkey.” When Scott’s team filed an appeal in 2012, they argued the dog-sniffing evidence was “unreliable” saying the dogs failed two-thirds of tests under similar conditions.

Laci’s Hair Was Found on Scott’s Boat

During the trial, many were critical that the trial lacked a significant amount of forensic evidence; in fact, one of the only pieces of forensic evidence found against Scott was a single hair, believed to be Laci’s, which was found on pliers kept on Scott’s boat. During the trial, the prosecution argued that, while alive, Laci had never seen Scott’s boat — and suggested that the reason her hair was on the boat was because Scott had her body on the boat after killing her.

Planter pots found in the marina matched those in a storage unit in Scott’s name.

According to FBI agent Robert Chachon, who worked on the case, there were planter pots found by divers in the marina that many believed were used to weigh down Laci’s body. The planter pots that matched broken units that were discovered in a storage unit registered in Scott’s name.

Scott Slammed the ‘So-Called Investigation’ Nearly 20 Years Later

For the first time in nearly 20 years, Peterson spoke out about his conviction in the August 2024 Peacock docuseries Face to Face With Scott Peterson. The convicted killer continued to deny any involvement in his wife and son’s death and pleaded with the public to listen to his side of the story.

He publicly slammed police and prosecutors for the “so-called investigation,” saying they ignored significant leads and relied solely on circumstantial evidence.

“I regret not testifying [at my trial], but if I have a chance to show people what the truth is, and if they are willing to accept it, it would be the biggest thing that I can accomplish right now — because I didn’t kill my family,” he explained.

What Is Scott Peterson’s Current Legal Status?

Scott was sentenced to death row in 2005 following the murder conviction. However, there have been several developments in the last few years. After getting his death penalty overturned during a 2021 hearing, Scott requested a new trial but a San Mateo County Superior Court judge later denied it.

The Los Angeles Innocence Project — which provides free legal services to incarcerated people who may have been wrongfully convicted — undertook Scott’s infamous case in 2024 and alleged in legal filings that new evidence “supports Mr. Peterson’s long-standing claim of innocence.”

“They’re looking forward to their day in court,” a source exclusively told In Touch on February 1, 2024. “With the [Los Angeles] Innocence Project on their side, Scott and his lawyers believe they will triumph.”